Queer Worldmaking: Women Photographers 1900–1975

Among the more than 80 artists and photographers featured in Women Photographers 1900–1975: A Legacy of Light, there are many significant moments and developments in 20th century queer history. From the experimental and collaborative practice of Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore to the celebratory images of Gay Liberation captured by Ponch Hawkes, queer stories and experiences abound.

Join NGV curators Maggie Finch and Meg Slater for a tour of the exhibition exploring a selection of the LGBTQIA+ moments on display, with special guest Karen Bryant, Chief Executive, Midsumma.

This program will take place in the Women Photographers 1900–1975: A Legacy of Light exhibition. You do not need to register to attend the tour, but an exhibition ticket is required to enter the exhibition.

About the Speakers

Maggie Finch is Curator, Photography at National Gallery of Victoria. She curated Darren Sylvester: Carve a Future, Devour Everything, Become Something (2019); Patrick Pound: The Great Exhibition (2017); Transmission: Legacies of the Television Age (2015); and Sue Ford (2014). She was a contributing curator for Melbourne Now (2023 and 2013) and the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ touring exhibition The Mad Square: Modernity in German Art 1910–1937 (2011); and co-curator of Endless Present: Robert Rooney and Conceptual Art (2010), with Cathy Leahy.

Meg Slater is Curator of International Exhibition Projects at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). Since 2017, Meg has worked on eight of the NGV’s major international exhibitions, including MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art, 2018; Keith Haring | Jean Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines, 2019/20, Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi, 2023; and Yayoi Kusama, 2024/25. Meg was also one of the five curators who organised QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection, 2022. In 2021, Meg completed a Master of Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne with First-Class Honours.

Karen Bryant is currently Chief Executive & Creative Director at Midsumma, one of the largest attended festivals in Victoria, is also a professional photographer – running her own business Capturing Courage, and is a regular public speaker on a range of topics across various corporate and creative industries. She is a recipient of Deloitte’s 50 LGBTQ Leaders 2020 to 2022, and in 2025 was named as LGBTQIA+ Cultural Festival Leader of the Year by Acquisition International (based in London) as part of their Influential Businesswomen Awards 2025. Karen has contributed to the arts nationally for 30 years, with extensive experience and networks which she has built as a performer, director, Artistic Director, programmer, producer, artistic consultant, venue manager, festival director and photographer. Karen has worked in various capacities with a range of arts organisations all over Australia and was Chief Executive at the Adelaide International Festival of Arts and Associate Director & Head of Programming at the Adelaide Festival Centre. She has served on numerous federal and state arts advisory boards, including several board and committee appointments for the Commonwealth Government and Australia Council for the Arts, where she has played a role in shaping arts policies and funding strategies.

NGV & Midsumma: Queer Histories, Futures & Creativity

Coming together again in 2026, NGV and Midsumma present a series of programs that celebrate queer histories, futures and creativity.

Featuring curator-led tours, conversations and a special edition of NGV Friday Nights, these programs will highlight LGBTQIA+ stories from the early twentieth century through to the present, exploring NGV Collection artworks and the Westwood | Kawakubo and Women Photographers 1900 – 1975: A Legacy of Light exhibitions at NGV International.

For more information visit: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/ngv-x-midsumma/